Sauna Talk – Détails, épisodes et analyse

Today on Sauna Talk, we are joined by the dynamic duo of researcher from Emery University, Deanna Kaplan and Roman Palitsky.

Deanna Kaplan

Deanna Kaplan, PhD is a clinical psychologist with expertise in digital health technologies. She has more than a decade of experience using wearable and smartphone-based technologies to study the dynamics of health processes and clinical change during daily life. Her research is grounded in a whole-person (bio-psycho-social-spiritual) model of health, and much of her work focuses on investigating the dynamics of change of integrative interventions, such as psychedelic-assisted therapies and contemplative practices.

Dr. Kaplan is the Director of the Human Experience and Ambulatory Technologies (HEAT) Lab, a multidisciplinary collaboration between the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine and Emory Spiritual Health. More information about the HEAT Lab is here.

Dr. Kaplan is the co-creator and Scientific Director of Fabla, an unlicensed Emory-hosted app for multimodal daily diary and ecological momentary assessment (EMA) research. Fabla is an EMA app that can securely collect voice-recorded, video-recorded , and photographic responses from research participants. More information about Fabla is here.

Dr. Kaplan holds an adjunct appointment in Emory's Department of Psychology and is appointed faculty for several Emory centers, including the Winship Cancer Institute, Emory Spiritual Health (ESH), the Emory Center for Psychedelics and Spirituality (ECPS), and the Advancement of Diagnostics for a Just Society (ADJUST) Center. She also holds an appointment as an adjunct Assistant Professor at Brown University in affiliation with the Center for Digital Health. Dr. Kaplan received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Arizona, completed her predoctoral clinical internship at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University, and completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at Brown University, where she received an F32 National Research Service Award (NRSA) from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Her research is funded by the NIH, the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA), the Georgia Clinical and Translational Science Alliance, the Tiny Blue Dot Foundation, and the Vail Health Foundation among others. She was named as a 2025 Rising Star by Genomics Press for her work in mental health assessment innovation.

Roman Palitsky

Roman Palitsky, MDiv, Ph.D. is Director of Research Projects for Emory Spiritual Health and a Research Psychologist for Emory University School of Medicine. His research program investigates the pathways through which culture and health interact by examining the biological, psychological, and social processes that constitute these pathways. His areas of interest include biopsychosocial determinants in cardiovascular health, chronic pain, and grief. In collaboration with Emory Spiritual Health, his research addresses cultural and existential topics in healthcare such as religion, spirituality, and the way people find meaning in suffering, as they relate to health and illness. His work has also focused on the role of religious and existential worldviews in mindfulness-based interventions, as well as implementation and cultural responsiveness of these interventions.

Dr. Palitsky's academic training includes a PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Arizona with a concentration in Behavioral Medicine/Health Psychology, and a Master of Divinity from Harvard University. He completed clinical internship in the behavioral medicine track at Brown University Warren Alpert Medical School, where he also completed a postdoctoral fellowship.

Deanna and Roman were in town attending and speaking at the 2025 SSSR Conference, Society for the Scienific Study of Religion. And as you will hear, we get deep into the spirit of sauna, a spiritual connection we allow ourselves to have, presented to us through the wonderfulness of time on the bench and chilling out in the garden, all misty wet with rain.

I've had the pleasure of sitting on the sauna bench with well over a hundred guests for Sauna Talk. Whether you're listening in your car, out for a walk, or sweating it out on your own bench, my goal as host is to help keep the conversation flowing. Like good löyly, Sauna Talk rises, rolls, and wraps around us—natural, unforced, and alive.

That same spirit was there last night with Chris Heck.

Chris grew up in Northern Minnesota, made his way into engineering school, and deep into his electrical engineering career. He spent a couple years living in Finland—where sauna isn't a luxury, it's an everyday way of life. He travels to Finland regularly working for Wärtsilä a global company with over 10,000 employees, a leader in innovative technologies for the marine and energy markets. Big equipment for ships and energy plants.

We met on a late fall afternoon under cool rain and heavy clouds. The last time I stood in his backyard was several months previous. His sauna was still just a shell—bare studs and roof. Seeing his completed sauna brought a different kind of warmth. Before round one, I snapped a few photos, smiling at the thought that my Sauna Build book helped Chris bring his own health and wellness backyard retreat to life.

Once we settled onto the bench, the talk found its rhythm—thermally aligned in good spirit. Just like a good sauna round, it built naturally, with heat, laughter, and a shared appreciation for how something so simple can feel so good.

As the rounds went on, so did the conversation—about work and life, Finland and Minnesota, and how sauna has a way of connecting it all. That's what Sauna Talk is about: real people who recognize that good heat knows no borders. So grab your towel, pour a little water on the rocks, and join us for this session with Chris Heck.

Today on Sauna Talk, we welcome back Jon Sabes.

Jon first joined us on Episode #61, and in this conversation, we reconnect on the same sauna bench in Minneapolis. He's in town from Los Angeles for a winter weekend, and we meet after a cross-country ski on Lake Minnetonka—just as the sauna is coming up to temperature.

There's something about talking with authors on the bench. The conversation tends to flow easily—like good steam in the hot room.

Jon's new book, Healthy Wealthy Longevity, is at the center of our discussion. It's a thoughtful guide to living with intention, built on the idea that small, consistent actions shape the bigger picture of our lives.

On the bench, we explore a few key themes from the book:

• How daily habits compound over time—for better or worse
• The connection between physical health, financial well-being, and emotional balance
• The role of intentional living in creating a fulfilling life

Jon shares practical insights drawn from his own experience, along with perspectives that feel both grounded and applicable.

I've also been using Jon's daily journal, which complements the ideas in his book—helping bring structure, clarity, and a sense of gratitude into the everyday.

In addition to his work as an author, Jon serves on the board of the Sauna Research Institute, where there are some exciting developments underway in the world of sauna and health.

From the sauna bench in Minneapolis, please welcome Jon Sabes.

In this episode of Sauna Talk, we get a behind the scenes view of Wisdom Woods, Spooner Wisconsin from Managing Partner Nate Focht.

"Sitting on the sauna bench, everything that comes out of your mind is pure."

– Nate Focht, Managing Partner, Wisdom Woods.

Ever wondered what a $100,000 sauna looks like?  Well, how about we add another zero to that number and double it.  That's what we experience while taking a sauna at Wisdom Woods.  The hot room is symmetric and generously sized 12'x12.'  Thankfully, we made the ceiling 7′ such that the wood burning stove can do its job heating the sauna to good temperatures.

Transom windows to the South and West plus a full glass door give the hot room a light airy, spacious feel.  The "money seat" is in the middle of the West wall, whereupon the sauna bather can gaze through the full glass door, past the full size exterior window in the hallway straight out to the lake: a wide view .  This treatment is example of how we welcome the outside in at the Wisdom Woods spa.  Nature is everywhere.  Nature wins at Wisdom Woods.

The awesomeness of this sauna experience starts to reveal itself once we leave the hot room and make our way down to the sandy beach for a cool lake plunge.  The small lake rarely has boaters.  It is crystal clear: deep and cool.

Heading into cool waters after sauna round at Wisdom Woods

As we gaze back up to the spa, our endorphins start firing and we feel like kids at a playground.  Should we go inside the spa for a drink?  Should we hang out on the deck and relax?

Where should we sit?  The generous deck spreads all the way around the spa building at Wisdom Woods.   Hanging out at the front area, we settle in and look out over the lake.

We can find ourselves walking to the back side of the spa and gazing out over the extensive wetlands, another vista of beauty to reflect upon.

Nate takes us on a virtual tour of Wisdom Woods.  60 acres of trails, adjacent to hundreds more on County land.  Hiking, mountain biking, canoeing, kayaking, fishing, skeet shooting are just a few of the more popular activities at Wisdom Woods.  With an emphasis on wellness and sustainability, guests to Wisdom Woods stumble upon interesting features scattered about the property.  On this episode, we learn about the organic community garden, the bee hives, the new brewery, and the solar panels that provide energy back to the community.

Nate is a Modarem:  A Modern Day Renaissance Man.  He is a nurse in town, a father, a white water kayaker, a canoe guides man, a Hot Shot fireman.  He's jumped out of planes and he can stitch a cut hand.  Nate is the kind of guy you want with you while hiking a remote trail.

Please welcome Nate Focht to Sauna Talk.

"If you haven't experienced the sauna, you have to do it, because it is a wonderful cleansing, spiritual way of life."

-Paster Dave Pearson

We hadn't yet tossed water on the sauna rocks, when I asked him the question:

"So, doing the math, as a Lutheran paster for over 40 years, that's about 2,000 sermons."

"that's about right."

"Have you ever mentioned sauna in one of your sermons?"

"Well, I'm sure I have mentioned sauna in a few of my sermons.  But I will say this: I have composed many of my sermons in the sauna.  There are a lot of "aha" moments that come from the sauna, just from the conversation that is generated here or just personal meditation."

"I think as a minister, that's where the spirit dimension of it (sauna) comes in.  We have such a significant responsibility, spiritually, to protect and to preserve and to use our bodies to the maximum extent that we possibly can."

This is Sauna Talk

I had the great pleasure recently to be sitting on the sauna bench with Paster Dave Pearson and his wife Judy.

Dave and Judy enjoy their sauna ritual pretty much every afternoon along the shores of Isle of Pines on Lake Vermilion in Northern Minnesota.  The setting is idyllic, and familiar to many.  Their wood burning sauna is nestled amongst birch and old growth red and white pines.

A small window in the hot room faces the lake.  A picture perfect scene out to the glistening water that captures Nature with a capital N.  The late afternoon sun enters through the small window, casting light on the sauna rocks, highlighting the soul and essence of the heat, inviting the sauna bather: "yes, toss water right here!".

Outside the deep red clad sauna building, it's just a few steps down to a landing, then a right turn out onto the dock, where a ladder is set up on the end, welcoming the sauna bather into the cool clean water.

Like an Irish couple sitting in front of their Guinness at their favorite pub, Dave and Judy look right at home on their sauna bench.

Paster Pearson is all Scandinavian. Thick white hair, solid blue eyes, and an in shape lanky physique.  Strong boned and muscled, you can just picture him in his favorite flannel work shirt chopping firewood on a late fall afternoon (as the sauna stove heats up for their afternoon sauna).  Sure enough, when asked: "yes, I cut my own firewood, we enjoy the ritual."

In this episode of Sauna Talk, we try to get down to the essence of the health and wellness benefits to the authentic sauna experience.  What's important is that we get a context of sauna being more than a hot room.  We discuss the wood burning aspect to authentic sauna, the connection with our soul and with nature.  And the affirmation of the physical benefits to sauna, as explained in The Metabolic Approach to Cancer, which Paster Peterson had just read that afternoon, and bookmarked in anticipation of our visit.

As Paster Pearson reads the excerpt from the book, I am taken by his strength of voice and being.

Navigating his own confrontation with cancer, I am thinking about all the people and families he surely has guided through their own health experiences.  And now Paster Peterson and his wife are dealing with their own journey.  No chemotherapy or chemicals, but a healthy diet and lifestyle with plenty more saunas and cool lake plunges down their path.

Please join me in welcoming Dave and Judy Pearson to Sauna Talk.

 

Imaging checking out from your day job to hit the road with a mobile sauna.

Imagine being able to:

• Share the appreciation of sauna with others.
• Take a sauna when you want to.
• See the country.

This is the journey native Finn's Risto Sivula and Jouko Sipala will be undertaking soon to help celebrate the centennial year of Finland's independence.  Risto and Jouko are well suited for this duty, and we get to hear why in this episode of Sauna Talk.

Jouko (left) and Risto chilling out between rounds during our Sauna Talk podcast

Folks will be able to experience Finnish Culture and Finnish Achievements along the tour:

Preliminary schedule for traveling sauna tour.

 

Here is the latest draft schedule:
January 13-14 Minneapolis, MN
January 23-24 Finland, MN *
February 8 Kansas City, MO*
February 10-12 Dallas, TX
Feb 24-26 Houston, TX
Feb 28 Albuquerque, NM*
March 1 Phoenix, AZ*
March [ ] Los Angeles, CA *
March 28-29 San Francisco, CA
April [ ] Portland, OR *
April [ ] Astoria, OR *
April 21-23 Seattle, WA*
May/June/July Minnesota – TBD
May 19-21 Chicago, IL
May 30-31 Eagle, WI *
June 1 Cedarburg, WI*
June 2-3 Milwaukee, WI*
June 23-25 Houghton/Hancock, UP MI
August 11-13 Wixom, MI
August 15 Buffalo, NY *
August 18-20 Leominster, MA
September 30 New York, NY
October [ ] Raleigh, NC
October 14 Atlanta, GA
November 18 Lake Worth, FL
December 2 - 6 Washington D.C.

Email is info@travelingsauna.com

facebook/travelingsauna twitter: @travelingsauna

 

I invite you to listen in with Risto and Jouko

There are about 650,000 Finns living in United States, a good chuck living in Minnesota and UP Michigan.  We all want to celebrate Finnish Independence, and bringing people together.  The route has something to do with where the Finnish ambassador will be traveling.  A big shout out to Keith and Mark Raisanen from Tylo/Helo North America, who are building the traveling sauna.  100 Saunas is the goal: 50 saunas for Risto and 50 sauna for Jouko.  Saunatimes is going to help make these 100 saunas happen.  Sauna Talk is conceptual thinking.  You slow down.

Sauna is your time and the way you want to have it.

We respect the solitude of sauna, but Sauna Talk is the ambassador of conversation.  North East Minnesota, home of the Kuuma Stove and good Loyly.  Bringing sauna rocks from Finland.  But you can't use just any rocks for sauna rocks.  Replace your sauna rocks every 5-10 years?  Take a shower before sauna round one?  Yes, it can be a little uncomfortable if your skin is dry, but there are no rules here.

The garden hose shower, simple is better.

What should we use to christen the sauna?  Champagne may not be appropriate. Does anybody have any ideas?  What should the traveling sauna be named?  We'd love to get your thoughts.  The community of authentic sauna enthusiasts are most welcome to come experience the traveling sauna.  Finnish Sauna Society, International Sauna Society, Finnish Embassy in Washington are all supporting the traveling sauna project.

There are more saunas in Finland than there are cars.  The wood burning sauna stove is sustainable.  It is the real sauna.  The atmosphere, the feel, the connection to nature.  And the heat is softer and warmer.  Not as "hard" heat as what comes out of the electric sauna stove.  There is a dream team for social media connectivity to learn about where the traveling sauna will be, and when.  For those wanting to experience the traveling sauna, it's best to reach out to the local Finnish groups in each town and community, who are coordinating the traveling sauna in their respective areas.

Life in United States vs. Europe.

• Driving - Minneapolis/St. Paul spans 40-50 miles.  Lots of driving.  Cities are more concentrated in Europe.
• Health Care, Education, Retirement - you worry about these things in the United States.  Percolating all the time in the back of your head.  Extra pressure.
• Being naked in sauna is a European thing.  American saunas are usually experienced while wearing a bathing suit.

Who would you like to take a sauna with?  How about Urho Kekkonen or Donald Trump.  An opportunity for sitting down and take it easy for awhile.

Favorite part of the sauna session?  The first Loyly.  The flow or not being rushed.  The feeling of humming and mellow.

What is most misunderstood about sauna?  Sauna is how you want to do it.   It's up to you how you want to experience it.  It's all ok.

If you could take a mobile sauna anywhere, where would you choose?  Antartica!  300 degree f. difference in temp.  How about the bottom of the Grand Canyon?  Why not?  And sauna and a lake belong together. Bring the sauna to state parks.   Sauna makes nature pop.

 

 

Have you ever sat on the sauna bench with someone who has created a product that hundreds of millions of people have experienced?

During this episode of Sauna Talk, you will be able to get into the head and mind of serial entrepreneur Scott Olson. Thanks to extended sauna rounds on the bench, we will get deep into Scott's mindset at the time when inline skating was just an idea. We will learn about what it took to turn a vision into a prototype, then into trial, and finally into a product that you either own or have experienced many times. Polyurethane wheels hold an edge, able to push off, like on ice.

The story of Rollerblade is fascinating. What is equally fascinating is Scott Olson's approach to creative thinking: how to turn ideas into marketable products. These tips can apply to inventors, dreamers, or just anyone looking for a more creative approach to their day.  We will learn more about Scott's fitness based products.

You have to have a lot of confidence to walk into a bar wearing a sarong.

Overlying all of this is Scott's appreciation of his place in the world. On the sauna bench, the true nature of someone's character reveals itself. Scott presents no ego. He is a fun guy who is humble, open to input from others, and exhibits a philosophy and joy of life that I hope you appreciate as much as I do.

Dan Baruch has spent most his life researching and developing methods for health, vitality and performance.  After working with people in-person for over 10 years in nutrition, training, bodywork and other disciplines, he began work on a holistic program for absolute beginners to advanced athletics.  This work now exists through www.baruchealth.com an Online Education platform.   BARUCHealth is a growing organization changing the way people think about health.  BARUCHEALTH provides health based education in Nutrition, Movement, Self-Therapy and Meditation.  The programs create a positive total health experience.  BARUCHealth's mission is to inspire and enable people to practice the most effective and natural ways of achieving greater health, vitality and performance.  BARUCHealth thrives on helping people successfully become superior versions of themselves and transforming students into teachers and one day activists.     Dan was born and raised in Plymouth Minnesota and continues to reside in the twin cities.  When Dan is not working on BARUCHealth programs he is developing websites for others via www.thiion.com, playing his guitars or in the sauna.  Dan is married and he and his wife hope to have their "backyard retreat" up and running this summer at their new home.  All are welcome!

As Saunatimes expands into the realm of public sweat bathing, there is no better place to start the journey than in Chicago at Chicago Sweatlodge.  This is a well thought out facility offering an authentic banya experience via two hot rooms:  the wet sauna and the dry sauna.

The stoves are top notch.  5,000 pounds of rocks in each.  Matter of fact, in summer, Chicago Sweatlodge switches out the rocks once a year.  It takes four days for the rocks to cool down, and even then gloves are needed to take out the old rocks.  Imagine the sweat the workers get switching out the rocks at Chicago Sweatlodge.

We experience dense heat at Chicago Sweatlodge.

Bill Trotter and I have a great visit and I am pleased to bring you this episode of Sauna Talk.

In this episode of Sauna Talk, we get to hear why six of the 612 Sauna Society Steering Committee members believe in the sauna experience so deeply.

In Minneapolis, MN, there is a 2,000 member strong sauna community, called the 612 Sauna Society.  For the past couple years, folks have signed up and gathered for sauna sessions in a mobile sauna.  The mobile sauna was hauled around to "residencies."  While the sauna was parked in public places like brew pub parking lots, frozen urban lakeside shorelines, and along the sidewalk of a downtown city street, our king Sauna Meister JP would organize time slots for 612 Sauna Society participants to partake in their own sauna experiences.  Often this involved taking a sauna with folks they didn't know.

People were very receptive to this concept, especially during the frosty cold months December through March.

Now, something more magical and substantial is underway.  The 612 Sauna Society Cooperative.

The 612 Sauna Society is looking for folks to pledge as founding members, volunteer their time to help promote the fundraising campaign, and evangelize with Twittering, shouting and sharing the good vibrations.